The present invention generally relates to dairy farming and to milking of dairy animals therein.
Particularly, the invention relates to an improved method of automatically milking animals, to an automatic milking facility adapted to perform said method, and to a computer program product for controlling the milking performed by a computer-controlled milking facility in accordance with above said method when run on the computer of said computer-controlled milking facility.
In modern dairy farm industry there are continuous research and development activities in order to improve the efficiency of various activities such as machine milking, which, inter alia, involves increased milk yield and reduced milking time.
A major trend in this respect is an increased degree of automation of the various activities. For instance, machine milking may be performed by milking robots in a completely automated manner. Such an automatic milking system may take care of milking, feeding, milk inspection, milk sampling, animal traffic, etc. in a large area wherein the dairy animals are walking about freely and are visiting the milking machine voluntarily.
An automatic milking machine involves heavy expenditure and has a limited milk production capacity. How to operate and use such a milking machine, which animals are visiting on a voluntary basis, in order to obtain an overall dairy farm performance is an arduous task. An objective in this respect is to achieve an optimal milk production. Naturally, ethical aspects as well as animal care have to be considered and not only the milk flow out from the machine.
WO 99/03330 (MAASLAND N.V.) discloses a method and implement for automatically milking animals, while aiming at yielding more milk. The implement is for this reason provided with adjusting means with the aid of which the milking duration, i.e. the period of time in which the animal is milked, is adjustable. In this manner it is possible to choose a favorable milking duration, in such a manner that this results in a higher milk production. The milking duration may be variably adjustable or may be adjustable per animal. Further, the milking rate may be measured per udder quarter and the cumulative quantity of milk produced may be deducted therefrom. When this quantity exceeds a specific value the milking is ended and the implement can be employed for the milking of another animal.
While such approach provides for an increased milk yield and an improved overall milking method, it is impaired by certain limitations. Firstly, such approach is static and does not take any time delay in the milking of an individual udder quarter into consideration. Further, the udder quarters of a cow, for instance, are separate and individual milk producing units and thus the use of one specific value for all udder quarters may not be optimal.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of automatically milking animals, such as cows, in an automatic milking facility provided with a milk flow measuring device capable of, during milking, in-situ measuring the individual milk flow from each udder quarter of the animal being milked, which method further optimizes the overall milk production.
It is yet a further object to provide such method, which is simple, reliable, of low cost, and easy to-implement.
It is still a further object to provide such method, which is very flexible and takes into account different milking start times for different udder quarters of a cow and different milk content in different udder quarters.
Further objects of the present invention are to provide an automatic milking facility and a computer program product for performing and controlling, respectively, the above said method.
These objects, among others, are according to the present invention, attained by methods, automatic milking facilities, and a computer program product as claimed in the appended claims.
By the provision of a flexible threshold value adjustment for the udder quarters(s), still being milked after the first udder quarter is finished (i.e. when the milk flow therefrom has reached the threshold value for that udder quarter) the threshold value(s) for this (theses) remaining udder quarter(s) can be raised in order to decrease the total milking time of the animal, while some amount of milk, which would conventionally be drawn, is left in the last finished udder quarter, or optionally udder quarters. However, as the milking capacity of the milking facility is now more rapidly freed to be used for the milking of another unmilked animal, the overall milk production by the milking facility can be increased.
The threshold value(s) for the last finished udder quarter(s) can be adjusted in a number of flexible manners of which the most important are to raise the threshold value(s) to a new fixed value as the consequence of that the milking of one, two, or three udder quarters is finished (i.e. that the milk flow therefrom has reached the threshold value(s) for this (these) udder quarter(s)), which fixed value can be a certain percentage, such as e.g. 115 or 300%, of the original threshold value(s). Optionally, the threshold value(s) is (are) raised to such high level such that the milking of the corresponding udder(s) is (are) ended instantaneously. In yet a version, the threshold value(s) is (are) time-dependent (i.e. increasing with time).
The threshold value(s) may be instantaneous milk flow values, milk flow values integrated over a short time period (time averaged milk flow), or over the complete milking to give an accumulated milk flow corresponding to the milk yield of the respective udder quarter.
Further characteristics of the invention and advantages thereof will be evident from the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention.
In the following detailed description the milk producing animals are cows. However, the invention is not limited to cows, but is applicable to any animals having the capability to produce large quantities of milk, such as sheep, goats, buffaloes, horses, etc.